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Italy's Meloni visits Trump in Florida
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid an unofficial visit to Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Saturday, the latest foreign leader hosted by the US president-elect as he prepares to take office.
Sarkozy: divisive French ex-president beset by legal woes
Nicolas Sarkozy, who ruled France as a tough-talking right-wing president from 2007 to 2012, is seen by supporters as a dynamic saviour of his country but by detractors as a vulgar populist mired in corruption.
NYC starts driver congestion charging despite opposition
New York launched a controversial scheme Sunday to charge drivers entering parts of the city, a first in the United States, putting local authorities on a collision course with President-elect Donald Trump.
S. Korea's Yoon ignored cabinet opposition to martial law: prosecutors
South Korea's suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol ignored the objections of key cabinet ministers before his failed martial law bid last month, according to a prosecutors' report seen by AFP on Sunday.
Fresh South Korea protests expected as president arrest deadline nears
Rival South Korean protesters were set to brave a snowstorm Sunday over suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol who was still resisting arrest less than 48 hours before the warrant expires.
Thousands line Suriname streets in homage to late dictator Bouterse
Thousands of people lined the streets of Suriname's capital Saturday for the funeral procession of Desi Bouterse, who led the country both as a coup leader and elected president before dying as a fugitive from justice.
Blinken wades into political crisis with stop in South Korea
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives late Sunday in crisis-riven South Korea where he will seek delicately to encourage continuity with the policies, but not tactics, of the impeached president.
Gaza truce talks resume in Qatar as violence shows no let-up
Israel confirmed on Saturday that negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal had resumed in Qatar, as rescuers said more than 30 people had been killed in fresh bombardment of the territory.
Austria's chancellor to step down after coalition talks collapse
Austria's conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer said Saturday he would step down in the "coming days" after breaking off coalition talks with the Social Democrats over disagreements on key issues.
Exiled Venezuelan opposition leader to speak with Biden, visit US
Venezuelan opposition politician Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who fled the country after a tumultuous election and subsequent police crackdown, said Saturday he has plans to speak with US President Joe Biden.
Cartoonist quits Washington Post over rejected sketch mocking owner, Trump
An award-winning political cartoonist for The Washington Post has announced her resignation after a cartoon depicting the newspaper's billionaire owner groveling before Donald Trump was rejected.
39 bell tolls begin final national sendoff for Jimmy Carter
Mourners began paying their respects to Jimmy Carter on Saturday, as a carefully choreographed six-day farewell for America's longest-lived president got underway.
Gaza rescuers says 31 killed in Israeli strikes
Rescuers in Gaza said on Saturday that Israeli strikes across the Palestinian territory killed more than 30 people, the day after Hamas militants said peace talks were to resume.
Egypt apprehensive over Islamist win in Syria
The Islamist takeover of Syria has left Egypt apprehensive and cautiously calibrating future ties, years after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power by toppling the Muslim Brotherhood.
Gaza rescuers says 26 killed in Israeli strikes
Rescuers in Gaza said on Saturday that Israeli strikes across the Palestinian territory killed at least 26 people, the day after Hamas militants said peace talks were to resume.
Rival camps protest as South Korea president resists arrest
Thousands of rival South Korean protesters rallied in the capital Saturday, a day after a failed attempt to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol for imposing a short-lived martial law decree that led to his impeachment.
South Korea's political crisis: what could happen next?
South Korean investigators attempted to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol at his residence Friday over a failed martial law bid but were blocked by his security forces.
South Korea in political crisis after president resists arrest
South Korea's political leadership was in uncharted territory Saturday after the sitting president resisted arrest over a failed martial law decree days before the warrant expires.
National funeral service, flyover and 39 bells for Carter sendoff
Mourners are to begin paying their respects to Jimmy Carter on Saturday, kicking off a carefully choreographed six-day farewell for America's longest-lived president.
Trump-backed Republican Johnson elected speaker of US House
Republican Mike Johnson was returned as speaker of the US House of Representatives on Friday with the crucial backing of incoming president Donald Trump, ending a bitter standoff that threatened to see the 2025 session opening in chaos.
Gaza rescuers say about 30 killed as truce talks resume
Gaza's civil defence agency said around 30 people were killed in Israeli bombardments on Friday, as Hamas said indirect negotiations for a truce in the war were set to resume in Qatar later.
UK, Germany electricity cleanest on record in 2024
Britain and Germany produced their cleanest electricity on record last year, with renewables reaching record highs, according to data released Thursday.
US House rejects Trump-backed speaker in first ballot
The new US Congress was thrown into chaos on its first day Friday as rebel right-wing Republicans defied incoming president Donald Trump to block Mike Johnson from returning as speaker of the House of Representatives.
European ministers urge inclusive transition on Syria visit
The French and German foreign ministers called for a peaceful, inclusive transition in Syria as they visited Damascus Friday for talks with new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Lebanon minister says working to 'resolve' Syria's new entry restrictions
Lebanon's interior minister on Friday told AFP that Beirut was working to find a solution with Syria, after two security officials said Damascus had imposed new restrictions on the entry of Lebanese citizens.
Rockets fired from Gaza as Israeli strikes kill 16, rescuers say
The Israeli military reported three rockets targetinh its territory on Friday from the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian rescuers said Israeli air strikes killed at least 16 people, including children.
Republican speaker, Trump face test in Congress leadership fight
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson -- and incoming US president Donald Trump -- faced a test of political strength Friday as the party's hard right threatens to try to choose a new leader.
World food prices dip 2% in 2024: FAO
World food commodity prices declined by 2.1 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, the FAO said on Friday, but they remain considerably higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The horror of Saydnaya jail, symbol of Assad excesses
Saydnaya prison north of the Syrian capital Damascus has become a symbol of the inhumane abuses of the Assad clan, especially since the country's civil war erupted in 2011.
Top European diplomats urge inclusive transition in Syria visit
The European Union backs a peaceful, inclusive transition in Syria, top French and German diplomats said Friday as they visited Damascus to meet with new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Beijing slams US over potential Chinese drone ban
China said on Friday it would take "all necessary measures" in response to the United States announcing it was considering restrictions on commercial Chinese drones for national security reasons.
Blinken to visit South Korea with eye on political crisis
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit South Korea for talks next week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday, with the country mired in political turmoil as its impeached president resists arrest.
Top European diplomats in Syria for talks with leader Sharaa
Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is due to meet the French and German foreign ministers on Friday, in the highest-level visit by major Western powers under the new authorities in Damascus.
Kim Jong Un's sister seen with children in state media images
South Korea's spy agency said Friday it was analysing rare state media footage showing the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with two children -- saying they could be hers.
Top US Republican fights for future in cliffhanger vote
US Republican leader Mike Johnson was set to face down critics Friday in a vote in Congress that could see him returned as one of the country's top statesmen -- or jettisoned to the back benches and political obscurity.
Spain's Canary Islands received record 46,843 migrants in 2024: ministry
A record 46,843 migrants reached Spain's Canary Islands illegally in 2024 via the increasingly deadly Atlantic route, the second consecutive year of unprecedented arrival numbers, official data showed on Thursday.
Panama says migrant jungle crossings fell 41% in 2024
The number of US-bound migrants passing through the Darien jungle fell by 41 percent in 2024, with around 302,000 attempting the dangerous journey from Colombia, Panama's president said Thursday.
27 sub-Saharan African migrants die off Tunisia in shipwrecks
Twenty-seven migrants, including women and children, died after two boats capsized off central Tunisia, with 83 people rescued, a civil defence official told AFP on Thursday.
Rival South Korea camps face off as president holds out
Rival camps of South Korean protesters faced off in chaotic scenes outside the presidential compound Thursday, some trying to protect the impeached president inside from arrest, as others called for his immediate detention.